Fight for My Way: on episode 7~10

“We were always short on time. We wake up earlier than anyone and we sleep later, but we never had enough time. We lived harder than anyone, but our resumes don’t show a thing. They seem to be everything of our history. It makes me mad and upset.”

Gahh, how i love this drama’s slice of life parts — the pangs are so spot-on. How i wish Show would focus more on this element instead of the ridiculous rivalry and annoying love interests. Unfortunately, that’s what we’re getting, and that’s where the story is going.

I think Fight for My Way would do fine as a romcom depicting ups and downs of young adults trying to re-attain their shelved dreams and getting out of their supposedly third-rate lives, without the above unwarranted subplots. But maybe they are deemed necessary to spice things up… or to fill in the screen time. I don’t know. I feel like not having much more to add to my last commentary. The conflicts are still the same, the plot hasn’t moved forward much, my quibbles for the most part still stand.

Having quit salaried jobs to pursue their buried passion: Ae-ra in broadcasting and Dong-man in taekwondo, what stands between them and their career of choice is Hye-ran and Tak-soo. Both are so determined to block respective rival’s every move though Hye-ran is the better schemer. She has sabotaged Ae-ra’s job interview(s) as well as MC job just because she can while Tak-soo’s attempts to upstage Dong-man have been falling short. That’s why although Dong-man’s return to martial arts was inspired by Ae-ra’s glee upon announcing again, he is able to launch his career first. Albeit being KO’d on his first onstage fight, he manages to KO his opponent on his ‘real’ debut fight. Which sends Tak-soo training extra hard, because sooner or later they’re gonna face each other inside the ring if only to prove who’s the true master of that roundhouse kick. Whatever the reason is, i’m simply looking forward to Dong-man putting that bragger in place.

However, we’ll know that Ae-ra isn’t all passion zero talent. Her two impromptu MC gigs are a testament to her skills, which come naturally to her. She’s comfortable on stage and able to command attention and work the crowd with ease. Being a TV announcer may be her lifelong dream, but MC could be her niche. It suits her personality and sass better than the conventional TV job. Besides, it pains me to see her walking out from the station dejected after going in with her head held high; the interviewers were condescending snobs i couldn’t imagine the work environment she’d be had she passed. I just need her to realize this.

…and for Hye-ran to stop interfering. She’s ruining the mood whenever she’s on screen and i really can’t stand her. Well, i tend to hate every clingy ex-girlfriend character out there, but she takes the cake with her level of stubbornness and delusion. Dong-man has made it very clear that he’s over her and not gonna entertain her puppy eyes anymore; he even told her to get lost, so which part of it still gives her the idea that she still stands a chance? What more does he need to say or do for her to get it and back down?

“Don’t confuse being comfortable as liking her. If it hasn’t worked out for 20 years, it never will” she says. In other situation or pairing, i’d agree, but here i say, “Says whooo!?” Dong-man and Ae-ra have been friends all their life indeed, and if their feelings never go beyond platonic, i’d think so too. But both have grown a lot more self-conscious recently, especially whenever physical contact is involved, that her argument is invalid. Furthermore, it’s revealed that this isn’t the first time Dong-man is rejecting Hye-ran’s rebound, not to mention the fact that Ae-ra deems Dong-man her first love.

Honestly though, i’m disappointed with the latter. Like, does one-half of the pair HAS TO BE the other’s first love?? I mean, they’ve certainly dated other girls/guys before, this bit is unnecessary. It ain’t cute; instead, it gives the impression that Ae-ra has been hung up on Dong-man for ever and never really gotten over him even when she’s in a relationship with her previous boyfriends?

Another bit i was meh about is her history with men. While it’s not unnatural for relationship to not work or not last, it doesn’t always have to end because the guy is a jerk. Or in her case, a brazen cheater. Not once, but twice in a row. Seriously, is there no other way to dissolve her relationship with Moo-bin? His expressions of interest can be cringeworthy, and despite my confusion about him not recognizing Ae-ra when they met at the wedding, i hardly questioned his motive… which shows how bad at reading people i am. ‘Cause he turns out to be even worse than Kwak Dong-yeon’s character. He approached Ae-ra just because Dong-man adores her and even intended to continue with the relationship after his planned marriage. If anything, i didn’t feel bad for Ae-ra since she wasn’t into him to begin with. Bad news is Moo-bin isn’t the last man of trouble she’s encountered in this drama… Let’s jinx it, shall we?

On the flip side, this activates Dong-man’s ridiculously overprotective side, which then propels him to eventually realize he likes Ae-ra as a woman. Took him long enough, after all those hints she’s dropped along the way. Given her bluntness, i half-expected her to be the one who confessed, though honestly, she’s probably hesitant since her half-confessions were always answered with a blank look on his face. Despite his general cluelessness, i love his speak-first-think-later tendency and how his mouth seems to betray him at times: like when he blurts out how cute she is, or the times he openly shares having the urge to kiss her or directly asks why she got dangerously close to him the previous night. These instances totally make me forgive him for being so slow on the uptake. Because after 10 episodes, he finally sorts his feelings out and acts on it, putting a firm end to the 20-year friendship. Huzzah.

I simply hope they don’t get together too soon, and there are enough stories to fill the next six episodes. Romance-wise, i mean, since career-wise, they still have a long way to go, right? Not gonna lie, i’m starting to feel the plot has begun to run in circles and gotten less compelling in these two weeks. Hence my relief when these two are finally making progress.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said regarding the secondary couple. The conflict with these two really is one-step-forward-two-steps-back kind. I said i was waiting for Joo-man to cheat throughout the series, and when i felt like i was proven wrong, they’re back to square one. Seol-hee’s spineless disposition begins to frustrate me, but Joo-man’s inaction is downright infuriating. They may keep their relationship a secret, but he can tell Ye-jin he’s taken, especially after the peck. Not saying anything and evading the topic only lead her on, and i can only blame him. Ye-jin having the characteristics of younger Seol-hee is fine, him wavering and continuing to pay attention to her isn’t, the more following Seol-hee’s discovery and disapproval.

Okay, Ye-jin is brighter and comes from a family background that can advance his career, but what is he trying to pull by admitting the six-year relationship in front of everybody in the company then meeting the other girl at night, behind his girlfriend’s back despite her protest? Worse, the sweet girl is insistent on snatching him away. At this point, i think Seol-hee is fighting a losing battle; now it looks like she’s holding onto his leg desperately when the other leg is already on the other ship. Joo-man is a good person and he loves her, but she deserves someone who’s as devoted to her as she is him, who’s ready to make her happy now, less-than-desirable socioeconomic status notwithstanding. Seol-hee is a bit bumbling and somewhat simple, but she’s incredibly loyal. I’m rooting for her happiness, the state in which she currently isn’t. Maybe that’s telling?

Anyways, besides the slice of life plot, can we have more of the friendship and family beats too? They’ve hit all the right spots for me.